On August 12, the Legal Mirror published an article reporting the introduction of Shanghai dialect expressions into a new Chinese grammar book. The news started a reaction among righteous Beijingers, who stormed the newspaper with telephone calls saying that Beijing's dialect expressions deserve the same treatment.

Following this sudden stir, Legal Mirror invited a panel of scholars from the Beijing Association of Local Customs and the Beijing Normal University to conduct a survey among pupils from a selection of elementary and middle schools in Beijing, to check their level of knowledge of Beijing hua (Beijing dialect). The panel prepared a list of famous Beijing expressions and conducted telephone interviews with the kids.
In the words of the Legal Mirror, the results were worth a laugh.
Let's have a look...

老家儿 (lao3 jia1 er)

Correct meaning: Parents

Wrong answers from kids included: 'people with power', 'older people', 'people who pull strings to control other people', 'egoistic people', 'gamblers who cheat' etc.

颠儿了 (dian1 er le)

Correct meaning: Let's go, let's leave

Wrong answers from kids included: 'fucked up', 'a happy behavior', 'be carried away', 'be missing', 'a muscular strain' etc.

死轴子 (si3 zhou2 zi3)

Correct meaning: Stubborness

Wrong answers from kids included: 'dumb', 'staring blankly', 'car axle', 'old person', 'stiff' etc.

半吊子 (ban4 diao4 zi3)

Correct meaning: Unreliable person

Wrong answers from kids included: 'idiot', 'give up half way', 'frightened', 'a hanged ghost', 'illiterate', etc.

草鸡 (cao3 ji1)

Correct meaning: Shy, not daring (a person with 'no balls')

Wrong answers from kids included: 'stupid', 'idiot', 'bastard', 'fool', 'a nice person', 'pigface', 'dumb', etc.

花花哨 (hua1 hua1 shao4)

Correct meaning: A crafty cheater

Wrong answers from kids included: 'a person who cheats by putting on a costume', 'beautiful', 'colorful', 'fashionable', etc.

二把刀 (er4 ba3 dao1)

Correct meaning: A person with limited skills

Wrong answers from kids included: 'idiot', 'distracted', 'careless', etc.

坏了醋了 (huai4 le cu4 le)

Correct meaning: To make a mess

Wrong answers from kids included: 'bad mood', 'very sweet (taste)', 'trouble', 'not edible', etc.

仨瓜俩枣 (sa1 gua1 lia1 zao3)

Correct meaning: A worthless object

Wrong answers from kids included: 'a light object', 'a few things', 'give a tip', 'very few', 'yummy', 'very yummy', etc.

Alas, most of the answers given by the kids were wrong!
When asked to comment about the results, the Beijing scholars said they were not expecting such a bad outcome. 'Beijing dialect should be taught at school level, - one scholar said - we should help the kids speak Beijing dialect, and love speaking it. By doing this, the dialect will get stronger and we will ensure its longevity, also contributing to strenghten the culture of Beijing'.